Preservation Buffalo Niagara has chosen to recognize 257 Lafayette Center at its annual awards ceremony later this week. The project was chosen under the "rehabilitation/adaptive use" category for its transformation of a former school building into residential and commercial space on the west side.
Award categories were established to acknowledge distinguished contributions to our community through preservation activity. Recipients will be recognized in the following areas: restoration; rehabilitation/adaptive use; stewardship; landscape preservation; neighborhood conservation; preservation service; and education and outreach.
Completed in 2010, the three-story former Annunciation School and later Catholic Academy was converted into 18 two-bedroom and two one-bedroom loft units occupying the second and third floors, as well office space and a daycare center on the ground floor. The 34,320-square-foot brick building, originally built in 1928, was vacant for over four years until 257 Lafayette LLC, led by developer Karl Frizlen of The Frizlen Group and contractor Paul Johnson of Johnson & Sons, purchased the school building from the Archdiocese of Buffalo for $200,000.
While the structure is not currently LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, much of the renovation efforts focused on adhering to LEED standards. A rooftop solar panel system provides a third of the buildings electrical power and a "green parking lot" irrigates a native plant garden with purified lot water runoff.
Last year, 257 Lafayette Center also received a Brick-by- Brick Award in the category of Best Residential, a Historic Preservation Award by the New York State Division for Historic Preservation, as well a Western New York Green Business Award.
I know we've had enough rain here so pardon my raining on the parade. Wasn't there a less than favorable review of these apartments on the message boards a while back? I know this article is for the rehabilitation and not the property management of this building, but I'm just throwing it out there because it is related.